The Monetarist Theory: Milton Friedman

Economic theories explore the relationships linking changes in the money supply to changes in economic activity and prices. With a mixture of theoretical ideas, philosophical beliefs, and policy prescriptions, these theories can help elaborate on both historic and current financial situations. For instance, the general understanding of the monetarist theory, founded by economist Milton Friedman, focuses on macroeconomic activities that examine the impact of changes in the money supply and central banking.This economic school of thought theoretically challenges Keynesian economics (OnlineTexts) to contend that variations in the money supply are the most significant determinants of the rate of economic growth, the behavior of the business cycle, the national output in the short run, and the price level over longer periods of time (Investopedia). Through the developments from other theories, more laissez-faire government approaches, and the use of the quantity theory of money, monetaris m has dramatically impacted and helped explain changes in monetary policy and the banking system for nearly one hundred years.To fully grasp this economic theory, the history behind it and what influenced its existence must be understood. Following the Great Depression, Keynesian economics mainly dominated the United States as well as countries globally. This economic theory focused on total spending in the economy and its effects on output and inflation (Blinder). Keynesians traditionally saw fiscal policy as the key tool for economic management, believed monetary policy should simply be used as a backup, and believed that the government’s role was to maintain the economy at full employment (Biz/Ed).This theory also emphasized interest rates as a target of monetary policy, raising rates to slow down the economy and reducing rates to speed things up (Allen 283). Although these views were the main focus for some time, many economists saw that the theory was leaving most of our economic problems unexplained. As Keynesian economics seemed unable to explain or cure the seemingly contradictory problems of rising unemployment and inflation (Allen 284) economits like Milton Friedman began making different, more accurate observations.Monetarism’s rise to intellectual prominence began with writings on basic monetary theory by Friedman and other economists during the 1950s (McCallum). These proposals were influential because of their devotion to fundamental neoclassical principles, particularly Friedman’s presidential address to the American Economic Association in 1967, published in 1968 as â€Å"The Role of Monetary Policy. † In this paper Friedman developed the natural-rate hypothesis and used it as a pillar in the argument for less government intervention and a constant-growth-rate rule for monetary policy (McCallum).From this point the monetarist theory drew its roots from two almost entirely opposing ideas, the hard money policies that dominated monetary thinking in the late 19th century, and the theories of Keynesian economics (Wikipedia). While Keynes had focused on total spending and the value stability of currency which resulted with problems based on an insufficient money supply, Friedman centered on price stability acting as the equilibrium between supply and demand for money (Wikipedia).Friedman and other monetarists began challenging Keynesian ideas and strongly started to suggest that â€Å"money does not matter† (Wikipedia). Monetarist’s goals involved seeking to explain present problems while also striving to interpret historical ones. Since monetarists strongly believe that the money supply is the primary determinant of nominal GDP in the short run and of the price level in the long run, they stress that the control of the money supply should not be left to the discretion of central bankers and that the focus should shift to a more laissez-faire approach for the banking system (OnlineText s).Monetarists do not believe that the government should intervene in economic and monetary decisions by trying to manage the level of aggregate demand or total spending (Biz/Ed). Friedman explains that if we are experiencing government deficits and must make a monetary decision, then the deficits should be financed by increasing the money supply instead of affecting aggregate demand, and vice versa for budget surpluses.Monetarists argue that interventionist policy regarding managing total spending will be destabilizing in the long run and should therefore be avoided. By trusting free markets rather than large governments, monetarists quickly and simultaneously agreed that government intervention will destabilize the economy more than it will help, since intervention typically interferes in the workings of free markets and can lead to bloated bureaucracies, unnecessary social programs, and large deficits (OnlineTexts).Markets will benefit by working on their own since market forces will cause inflation, unemployment and production to adjust themselves automatically and efficiently around a fixed amount of money (Milton Friedman and Monetarism). A key problem with discretionary demand management policies is the time lags, which monetarists believe make fiscal policy too difficult to use to manage the economy effectively (Biz/Ed). The best thing therefore, is to take a long-run view of price stability and use monetary policy to achieve this.Monetarists always say that where fiscal policy could be beneficial, monetary policy would do the job better. Government attempts to influence GDP and other economic measures through fiscal policy are at best ineffectual, mainly because expansionary fiscal policy only causes inflation (Monetarist Theory of Inflation). The monetarist theory believes that the Fed should not have discretion but rather be bound to fixed rules in conducting monetary policy.For example, monetarists prefer the money growth rule which states that the Fed should be required to target the growth rate of money so that it equals the growth rate of real GDP, leaving the price level unchanged (OnlineTexts). The relationship between inflation and money growth is virtually a one-to-one relationship, so if the economy is expected to grow at a certain percent in a given year, the Fed should allow the money supply to increase by the same percent. By following this rule there will be a tight control of money and credit allowing the economy to maintain price stability (Riley).Monetarist’s stress incorrect central bank policy is often the root of large fluctuations in inflation and price stability, showing that the key to success is to ensure that monetary policy is credible so that people’s expectations of inflation are controlled (Riley). Friedman states within his academic paper, â€Å"The Role of Monetary Policy† that â€Å"monetary authorities should guide themselves by magnitudes that they can control, not by ones that they cannot† (Friedman 14), which is why the quantity theory of money and other monetarist concepts are of huge importance and assistance.The quantity theory of money is a basic theoretical explanation for the link between money and the general price level. This theory helps describe how by controlling the growth of the money supply and leaving interest rates unchanged; the Fed can better control inflation and foster stable economic growth (Riley). This identity relates total aggregate demand to the total value of output, and holds that changes in nominal prices reflect changes in the money supply and the velocity of money (Monetarism). Monetarists assume that the velocity of money within the economy, or rather the average number of times a dollar is used to purchase final good or service is assumed constant or changes at a predictable rate (Wikipedia). The value of real output (GDP), or the total volume of production of goods and services, is not influenced by monetary variables (Riley) allowing monetarists to also treat GDP as a constant. Looking at the quantity of money theory equation, M*V = P*Y, where M is the rate of growth in the money supply, V is the velocity of money, P is the overall price level, and Y is the total output or GDP, one can determine that with V and Y as constants, changes in the rate of money supply will equal changes in the price level (Riley).By using this equation and theory, economists can determine and solve problems within the economy and we have seen this throughout history. The monetarist theory can effectively explain the deflationary waves of the late 19th Century, the Great Depression, and the stagflation period beginning in the early 1970’s (Wikipedia). Monetarists argue that there was no inflationary boom in the 1920’s, while Keynesians argue that there was significant asset inflation and unsustainable growth.Monetarists’ claim that the contraction of the M1 money supply during 1931-1933 i s to blame for the Great Depression and if the Fed had provided sufficient liquidity to make up for the insufficient money supply, then that financial crisis would have be avoided (Pettinger). In comparison, the increase in inflation rates throughout the 1970’s led many to consider monetarist policies to steady the money growth (Hafer 18). Even though the sudden rise in inflation in the 1970’s was related directly to oil price shocks, there was also a similar increase in the average rate of money growth.To combat this, the Fed began adopting a monetarist platform and monetary targets were effectively used in official policy analysis (Hafer 18). Later in the 1980’s President Reagan imposed strict monetarist policies of restricted money stock growth in an effort to stop the dramatic rise of inflation. At this time, the prime interest rate was at twenty percent and unemployment reached double digits. The monetarist policies Reagan proposed brought down inflation an d unemployment rates, suggesting that monetarist policies were succeeding (Allen 284).Most recently in the early 1990’s, John Taylor, an economics professor at Stanford, showed that U. S. monetary policy could be accurately described by relating movements in the federal funds rate to deviations in inflation from a target rate and deviations in real output growth from potential growth (Hafer 19). This Taylor rule dominates much of the research on monetary policy during the past decade, both as a model of Fed behavior and as a model to guide policy decisions (Hafer 19).While some disagreement remains, certain things are clear. Since 1990, the classical form of monetarism has been questioned because of events that have been interpreted as inexplicable in monetarist terms, primarily the unhinging of the money supply growth from inflation in the 1990’s and the failure of monetary policy to stimulate the economy in the early 2000’s (Wikipedia). Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, explains why the monetarist theory unfortunately had no success in combating early financial problems.He argued that the 1990’s economic decline had little to do with the monetarist view of the money supply and rather was â€Å"explained by a virtuous cycle of productivity and investment on one hand, and a certain degree of â€Å"irrational exuberance† in the investment sector† (Wikipedia). Along with Greenspan, economist Robert Solow of MIT suggested that the 2001-2003 failure of the expected economic recovery also was not attributed by monetary policy, but by the decreasing productivity growth in crucial sectors of the economy (Investopedia).Despite both the successes and failures of the monetarist theory, in 2005 most academic specialists in monetary economics described their orientation as new Keynesians (McCallum). However, even with that focus, most of the changes to Keynesian thinking that monetarists proposed are accepted today as part of standard macroeconomic and monetary analysis and most economists accept the proposition that monetary policy is more powerful and useful than fiscal policy for stabilizing the economy (McCallum).In addition, current thinking clearly favors policy rules in contrast to discretion of central banks and stresses the importance of maintaining inflation at low rates. With new Keynesian views prominent in today’s society, it can be determine that it is only in the emphasis on monetary aggregates that monetarism is not being widely practiced today. Economic theories, including monetarism, are constantly changing to provide outlets for research in all areas of economics based on theoretical reasoning and analysis of economic problems.Despite the drastic differences between the late 19th century and today’s economy, the same economic problems remain the same. We cannot put so much doubt and negativity onto monetarist views as we can be assured that new economic theories will continuously emerge as changes in the economy bring fresh insights and cause existing ideas to become obsolete.Throughout these changes, the same motivating force is present regarding the need to understand the economy in order to achieve society's goals. These economic theories are highly significant in finding the right monetary policy to bring about economic growth and financial stability in a country. The monetarist theory, as well as others more prominent today, will continue to be debated and tested in order to find answers to some of the most troubling economic questions throughout our history.

We are the Champions

For as long as I can remember, I have loved and played organized basketball. The culmination of this adoration and dedication came during my senior year of high school when we won the state championship. I spent most of my childhood and adolescent years watching, practicing and playing this game. I played through all kinds of injuries and illnesses. I played with all kinds of organizations and teams. Now, I was the captain of the team of all teams: State Champions.I'd reached the manacle of my basketball career. If we are looking at this significant event through the behavioral perspective of psychology, we see the ways in which it applies. The behavioral perspective allows us to look at the obvious observable and measurable behaviors as opposed to the internal and mental ones. It focuses on how behaviors are learned and reinforced. Practice was the driving behavior that allowed our team to succeed. Our coaches required us to practice the same plays over and over again. We practiced shooting drills over and over again.These things were reiterated until hey became second nature, and then we practiced them some more. Our philosophy was that we did not practice until we got it right, but we practiced until we could not get it wrong. Also, part of our preparation included watching videos of our opponents. This allowed us to learn their behaviors and tendencies in order to devise a plan to counteract them (Baron & Kessler, 2008). During the game of basketball, the cognitive perspective plays an important role. This perspective is concerned with the mental function: how things are perceived, remembered, reasoned, decided, or problem solved.Before the game starts, a strategy is developed for the offensive and defensive side of the court. It has to be remembered by every member of the team along with all of the plays and signals to help the team function as one cohesive unit. We are also tasked with making split second decisions throughout the game in order to navigate the opponent's defensive scheme (McLeod, 2007). Through this entire process, I learned that hard work would lead to great rewards. One of the ways this happened was through classical conditioning learning.This type of learning involves â€Å"placing a neutral signal before a naturally occurring reflex† (Baron & Kessler, 2008, p. 161). In order to build our stamina to run up and down the court for a complete game, our coaches used a whistle. When the whistle was blown, we were required to run suicide drills. At the sound of a double whistle, we were required to stop running. The blowing of the whistle is an unconditioned stimulus and the act of running is an unconditioned response. Operating learning came in the form of positive reinforcements and punishments.We were praised and received gifts for working hard in practice, for performing drills ND tasks flawlessly, and for meeting seasonal milestones. Our punishments came in the form of performing push-ups or having an extra early morning practice when we did not do what was expected. In addition, some of my basketball skills were acquired through observational learning. I watched Just as much basketball on television as I played. I took some of the things that I saw my favorite college and professional basketball players performed and worked to mimic them (Baron & Kessler, 2008).This entire senior basketball season was very memorable. It was like ale with a story book ending. However, some of the details of that season was lost. This is because of retroactive interference. We played 23 games that year, and each game added a new memory. Because of the similarities in games, the details get clouded with the addition off new one. The championship game was different. That game is an autobiographical memory as it was a reward for what I had worked so long to achieve. This was the most important thing that Vive done up until that point.

A Drug in A Box Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A Drug in A Box - Research Paper Example The researcher states that the biomedical engineering field has for a long time experienced difficulties in relation to drug delivery and circulation in the body. However, origami, through simulation of DNA patterns, has proved to be a potential solution to the problem. While people previously practiced origami as a way of activating their brains, enhancing sequencing skills, eye-hand coordination, and mathematical reasoning, it is so appealing that today, it fosters biomedical reasoning and fervently contributes to the proficient and operational delivery of medical or health services. According to Erdmann and Barciszewski, medical and drug research have led to the creation or rather production of thousands of drugs that have revolutionized the treatment of infections including diabetes, cancer, and asthma. While drugs have the potential of changing the functioning of our bodies, the effectiveness of the drug, other than only being presented inapposite concentrations, depends on wher e it acts on, a more reason why paramedics strive to ensure that the drug reaches the targeted organs or spots. Moreover, the cell membrane is involved in the transfer of drugs as absorption, dissemination, and metabolism involves passage across the membrane. Other than the chemical characteristics and manner of administration of the drugs, the shape and molecular size of the drugs also affect its delivery in the body leading to delayed or hampered intended actions or reactions. The movement of drugs in the body is also significantly hampered by the intestinal epithelium, leading to drug wastage and consequently loss of lives as ailments persist without being refuted.

Scotish Heritage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Scotish Heritage - Essay Example This paper outlines the cultural heritage of the Scottish ethnic group in America. American society views the Scottish group as a group of individuals who actively participate in the political processes of America. Even as election periods may spawn much discussion on the Irish vote or the German vote or the Jewish vote which may affect the turnout of such elections, discussions about the Scottish vote are few and far between. This is not to say however that there is no Scottish vote or that their votes do not have any impact on the turnout of elections; however, it goes to show that the Scottish group has an inherent desire to be a good American. In this sense, the Scottish voter would participate well in the political processes without having to raise a major shift in known and established trends in voting. As proof of their participation in politics, the names of James Beck, a representative from Kentucky, David Henderson, from the state of Iowa, Arthur MacArthur, as an associate justice of the US Supreme Court, and General Douglas MacArthur, have been brought to the table. Their participation in American politics has been exemplary and highly noted by their colleagues and by citizens alike. The essay concludes that the Scottish ethnic group has had a major impact on the political, social, and educational processes in the United States. They have been active participants in politics and governance and have helped in the development of educational and enlightenment processes.

International Entrepreneurship Master Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

International Entrepreneurship Master - Essay Example Many "high-profile" entrepreneurial ventures seek venture capital or angel funding in order to raise capital to build the business. Many kinds of organizations now exist to support would-be entrepreneurs, including specialized government agencies, business incubators, science parks, and some NGOs. Wikipedia attributes much of the understanding of entrepreneurship to the work of economist Joseph Schumpeter and the Austrian School of economics. In Schumpeter (1950), an entrepreneur is a person who is willing and able to convert a new idea or invention into a successful innovation. Entrepreneurship forces "creative destruction" across markets and industries, simultaneously creating new products and business models. In this way, creative destruction is largely responsible for the dynamism of industries and long-run economic growth. Despite Schumpeter's early 20th century contributions, the traditional microeconomic theory of economics has had little room for entrepreneurs in its theoretical frameworks (instead assuming that resources would find each other through a price system). Entrepreneurship received a boost in the formalised creation of so-called incubators and science parks, where businesses can start at a small scale, share services and space while they grow, and eventually move into space of their own when they have achieved a large enough scale to be viable stand-alone businesses. It is being encouraged in an effort to revitalise fading downtowns and inner cities in America, which may have excellent resources but suffer from a lack of spirited development. (Wikipedia) For Frank H. Knight (1967) and Peter Drucker (1970) entrepreneurship is about taking risk. The behavior of the entrepreneur reflects a kind of person willing to put his or her career and financial security on the line and take risks in the name of an idea, spending much time as well as capital on an uncertain venture. (Wikipedia) Still another view of entrepreneurship, according to Wikipedia, is that it is the process of discovering, evaluating, and exploiting opportunities in the form of new business ventures. In this paradigm, an entrepreneur could be defined as "someone who acts with ambition beyond that supportable by the resources currently under his control, in relentless pursuit of opportunity" (a definition common

U10a1 Life in the Universe Review Assignment Coursework

U10a1 Life in the Universe Review Assignment - Coursework Example Evolution is a natural phenomenon. Natural selection is the reason why evolution happens. In its most basic form, evolution is genetic change within a population - specifically changes in the allelic frequencies of said population. Genetic drift, natural selection, mutation, and migration these are the basic mechanisms of evolution. Evolutionary thought can be traced back to classic Greece, but it is most commonly associated with Charles Darwin. Darwin only described one of the mechanisms that now are known to guide evolution: Natural Selection. He also put forward his idea that all the species have originated from a common ancestor and changed over time to the present situation. Natural Selection is the process by which favorable heritable traits become more common in successive generations of a population and unfavorable heritable traits become less common due to differential reproduction. That is: given a certain population, those individuals who are more fit to the selective pres sure(s) by their habitat will leave more descendants than those less fit. This means that for Natural Selection to act, a population must be composed by individuals that differ in their traits. Evolution is the explanation for the development, adaptation and diversity of life, as well as the morphological similarities between different kinds of life. Darwin's Theory of Evolution: Darwin's Theory of Evolution is the widely held notion that all life is related and has descended from a common ancestor: the birds and the bananas, the fishes and the flowers -- all related. Darwin's general theory presumes the development of life from non-life and stresses a purely naturalistic "descent with modification". That is, complex creatures evolve from more simplistic ancestors naturally over time. In a nutshell, as random genetic mutations occur within an organism's genetic code, the beneficial mutations are preserved because they aid survival -- a process known as "natural selection." These ben eficial mutations are passed on to the next generation. Over time, beneficial mutations accumulate and the result is an entirely different organism. Darwin's Theory of Evolution - Natural Selection: Natural selection acts to preserve and accumulate minor advantageous genetic mutations. Suppose a member of a species developed a functional advantage, its offspring would inherit that advantage and pass it on to their offspring. The inferior members of the same species would gradually die out, leaving only the superior members of the species. Natural selection is the preservation of a functional advantage that enables a species to compete better in the wild. Natural selection is the naturalistic equivalent to domestic breeding. Over the centuries, human breeders have produced dramatic changes in domestic animal populations by selecting individuals to breed. Breeders eliminate undesirable traits gradually over time. Similarly, natural selection eliminates inferior species gradually over time. With the proper tools, we can sample the DNA of a population to see how the abundance of a particular gene changes as the environment changes. For example, in the mangled example of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, one type of antibiotic targets the prokaryotic ribosomes. A drug that binds bacterial ribosomes blocks the ability of the bacteria to synthesize proteins. One way that bacteria can evade this type of drug is to mutate the target site. If in the

International Marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Marketing - Research Paper Example icates that the product discussed higher market share in European nations among other parts of the globe where a higher profit margin is reported (Grunig and Kuhn, 2008). For situational analysis, the company can use various methods. The following methods can are be utilized: Porter’s method, 5Cs and SWOT method of analysis. One of the best methods to be used in this situation is the 5Cs analysis. The 5Cs represents company, competitors, customers, collaborators, and climate. First, the company needs to evaluate its objectives, strategy, and capabilities. The evaluation of these elements will help the management determine how fit the organization fits the external environment. Evaluation of the company objectives and goals may include the analysis of organization visions, goals and the environment under which the organization is operating in to achieve its corporate goals. In addition, organization should assess marketing strategies to determine its efficiency and carry out necessary improvements (Hitt, Irel, and Hoskisson, 2007). The products produced should also be analyzed to dete5rmine whether they meet customer needs and expectations. Secondly, we will consider the competitors. Here we will check the position of a competitor in the market and the possible potential threats they may cause to the industry. The competitor analysis will help the management prepare against competition. The organization should conduct customer analysis to determine their needs that in return help the organization to achieve a higher market share. The analysis will help the management of the organization with the knowledge of whether the customer needs and wants are met. It will also help the organization determine the familiarity of the products to the customers, which in turn will determine the intensity of the advertisement. The management will also know the income of its customers, which will help them determine the different prices of their products. The fourth statement

Palestine by Joe Saco Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Palestine by Joe Saco - Essay Example On reading Joe Sacco’s graphic creation ‘Palestine’, I had my personal encounter of Palestinians under tumultuous state of oppression. It was as if I inevitably swam from the surface down to depths and depths of grievances which the Palestinian nation has every right to raise against the bureaucratic Israel. For one, Palestinians must be delivered from taking the ordeal of battling with armed Israeli soldiers who ruthlessly torture them to psychological, emotional, and physical deaths. Second of all, they deserve more than to grieve or wail at occupied territories which drove them out of their homes since the 1960s, making them live in inhumanely poor shelter conditions as refugees dwelling in camps without paved roads, proper roofing nor toilets as depicted in Sacco’s reports – a picture worse than an abandoned civilization. Moreover, I personally advocate support for Palestinians who express grievance for the absence of fair trial when their family members are put to jail at Israeli’s unjust discretion. The enemy’s brutish behaviour of inflicting extreme physical harm against the innocent in jail who barely know the grounds for their suffering must be highly condemned indeed.

E_Week2DQ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

E_Week2DQ - Essay Example However the extent to which ad business would attain sustainability and growth is disreputable. For instance in the US market Groupon offer daily discounts ranging from 50% up to 90%. This offer is amazingly interesting to attract customers to purchase Groupon. With such steep discounts the retailer is affirmed a certain amount of sales attained by setting the minimal number of purchases in a stipulated period in order for the discounts to be effective (Verma, 2007). Despite the numerous growths attributed to massive advertising, Groupon and other coupon businesses bear losses. The companies offering the massive discounts suffer huge losses too. According to research results published in MIT Sloan Management review, three business (restaurant, car wash and spa) reported huge losses amounting to thrice the monthly earnings for the restaurant, while the other two lost more than their monthly earnings in a period of one year (Aaker, 2004). Although Chaffey (2007) argues that such losses are anticipated and that with time the business will recover due to the new customers introduced by the coupon, the expected period can be as long as 10 years. For instance the salon will need an equivalent of 8 years in order to record its first profit. Groupon and other coupon business offer unlimited merits as compared to traditional forms of advertising and marketing. Because it is free, businesses can showcase what they offer without the risk of running into losses as a result of low or no sales. In addition, sites such as www.Groupon.com and www.couponsuzy.com allow sharing of information with their partner businesses. With such incentives, businesses alleviate the huge premiums they would have otherwise paid to attain direct advertising to a certain group of people. With the help of experts, customized promotion ads are designed by the coupon sites to makes sure that the business attains the minimum sales (Kaplan, &

Management in context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management in context - Essay Example 1).† I have noted that the explanation presented by the author for the unique theory makes it all common sense in management practice. I find the author’s labels on the third theory as a proactive one suitable, because it brings up a new way of establishing the link. I concur with the author that in management practice, accumulated academic knowledge can be used as an engagement tool rather than applied as a theory. Case studies are used to expose how a proactive theory can work when managers engage academic knowledge within their management practice activities to improve their performance (Ghoshal, 2005; pg. 1). The case studies shows how scholarship applied together with academic theory in the management practice of inquiry is relational and provides opportunities for evidence based management. The implication of my observations is in relation to the fact that using a proactive approach in management practice creates a link between academic theory and relational skills of managers. Surprises in JA 2 The author has taken an in – depth analysis of how the application of management theories affects organizations business culture. I can observe that according to the author, business schools have enhanced the development of such management theories. ... am surprised with the author’s comments that academic research, which studies the conduct of organizations and management, has generated serious negative effects on the practice of management. I am also surprised that the author seems to be suggesting that graduates from business schools lack common sense of moral responsibility. The author has used the pretense of knowledge and the application of system – based gloomy vision to explain his assertions (Ramsey, 2011; pg. 82). The observations I have made in this article has serious implications in relation to the belief that business schools ought to teach excellent management theories and should not be blamed for negative aspects of business culture. The Evidence The author has used Mike’s learning and Kieran is learning to show the application of academic theory within management practices. The two articles show three elements of academic theory when engaged in management practice (Ramsey, 2011; pg. 12). The ele ments revealed in the learning’s include â€Å"an engagement with ideas, a practice of inquiry, and an emphasis on moment-by-moment relating within practice (Ramsey, 2011; pg. 23)†. The writer has used suggestions from other authors to show that the most significant aspect of this link pertains to the place of the evidence that is applied in the academic theory. The writer quotes other authors to strengthen his arguments for the application of evidence-based management. This management approach places decision-making initiatives on evidence that can be gathered and assessed. The author argues that action analysis tool known as Provocative Theory Cycle of Inquiry is critical to the engagement approach in the practice of management. The author has presented information that the pretense of knowledge

The Statistical indicators of DSL Subscribers Essay Example for Free

The Statistical indicators of DSL Subscribers Essay The repeating sentences: 2nd repeat: United States and Japan are losing export market shares and new actors are emerging such as Hungary, Finland and Czech Republic. Page 3. Change to Due to the fact that United States and Japan are losing a number of their export market shares, their Balassa index has subsequently decreased. In addition to this, Hungary, Finland, and Czech Republic, as new actors, has much potential with regard to their Balassa index. The RCA index presents information about a country’s comparative advantage in ICT exports of goods and table below makes obvious each country’s gain or lost comparative advantage in ICT export through changes of RCA. RCA equivalent 1 indicates an identical export structure; RCA above 1 indicates relative specialization, while RCA below 1 means a countrys de-specialization. Page 4: kindly delete this paragraph because the term â€Å"RCA† has already been explained and there is no need to introduce this again. Price is consistently a very important issue. Nowadays the supply side hat vast influence of price and it is one of the largest barriers to purchase of broadband service. The Statistical Indicators: In this section, descriptive statistics will be used to describe the characteristics of the data set regarding the DSL subscribers. Different statistical measures will be used and will be introduced in the following sections. Measures of Central Tendency: The value for the mean of the data set is equal to 3251010.03. This means that on the average, there are about 3251010.03 DSL subscribers in the OECD countries. The Median of DSL Subscribers is equal to 1136709.50. This is the middle of the data set which means that half of the OECD countries have DSL subscribers above 1136709.50 and the other half has less than 1136709.50 DSL subscribers. The computed value for the Mode of DSL Subscribers is equal to 60024.00. This means that a number of OECD countries has this much DSL subscribers, more specifically the countries of . Measures of Variability: The standard deviation describes the degree of spread in the data set. If the data lies close to the mean, then the standard deviation is small. The standard deviation for the number of DSL Subscribers is 4645295.15. It shows the amount of deviation from the mean (3251010.03). Apparently, the value of the standard deviation is far from the mean and this shows that the data set has a high degree of spread. The largest number of DSL Subscribers is 19031154.00, which is in the United States, and the smallest number of DSL Subscribers is 60024.00, which is in Luxembourg. Computing for the range, which is the difference between the largest and the smallest value, the result is 18971130.00. This also indicates the degree of spread in the data set since the largest value and the smallest value is far from each other as indicated by the big difference in their range. The value for the Skewness of the data set is 2.08. It means that the distribution of the number of DSL Subscribers is referred to an asymmetric tail extending out to the right or skewed to the right. Correlation between the number of DSL Subscribers and the Monthly Charge In order to find the correlation between the Monthly Charge and the number of DSL Subscribers, the Pearson’s correlation is used.   The results show that the Pearson’s coefficient has a value of -0.355 for these two variables. It shows that the relation between Monthly Charge and the number of DSL Subscribers is negative and it implies inverse association. P-value is equal to 0.027. The P-value is smaller than 5%, which means that there is a correlation between the two factors but with the coefficient less than 0.5, the correlation is said to be weak. The graph below shows the negative relation between the number of DSL subscribers and the Monthly charge. It means that countries with lower Monthly charge have more DSL subscribers. The distribution of countries in the graph is expansive and far from the correlation line. It reaffirms the previous conclusion that the correlation is not strong. Correlation between the number of DSL Subscribers and the Speed of Connection The Pearsons correlation is used to find a correlation between the number of DSL Subscribers and the Speed of Connection. The Pearson’s coefficient is equal to 0.5. With the said value, it can be concluded that there is a positive correlation between the variables Speed of connection and the number DSL Subscribers and it implies direct association. The computed P-value is equal 0.002. Because this value is between 0 and 0.5, it means that there is a direct relation between the two factors where countries with higher connection speed have more DSL subscribers. The graph below shows that there is direct relationship between the number of DSL subscribers and the Speed of Connection. It shows that in countries where the Speed of connection is higher, there are more DSL Subscribers. Correlation between the number of DSL Subscribers and the Monthly Charge and Speed of Connection The possible value for Regression’s coefficient is between 0 and 1. If it is 0, then there is no correlation between factors of regression. If it is equal to 1, then the correlation is perfect. Also, the result of the analysis regression’s coefficient near 1 shows strong correlation. The regression coefficient for measuring the correlation between two variables will be computed. These variables are the Monthly Charge and Speed of Connection as the independent variables and the dependent variable which is the DSL subscribers. The result shows that the regression coefficient value is equal to 0.574. It shows that there is a correlation between Monthly Charge and Speed of Connection with the number of DSL subscribers and this relation is . There is another Index that will be used which is the R2. It is between 0% and 100%. It shows the percentage of change in the independent variables (Monthly charge and Speed of Connection) in relation to the change in dependent variable (number of DSL subscribers). It determines the influence that the independent variables (Charge and Speed) have over the change in the number of DSL Subscribers. The R2 for the current variables is 0.330. It means that 33% of change in the number of DSL Subscribers can be attributed to Monthly Charge and Speed of Connection and rest is from other variables. In addition to this, it is necessary to compute for the Beta Index. This Index determines the influence of each of the two independent variables, Monthly Charge and Speed of Connection. The value of Beta for Monthly charge is negative, which is -0.286. The value of Beta for Speed of Connection is 0.457. Upon a comparison of the value of Beta for the two independent variables, it could be said that the influence of Speed on the number of DSL Subscribers is more significant than the influence of Monthly Charge on the number of DSL Subscribers. In addition, the negative Beta Index of Monthly charge on DSL Subscribers means that as the Monthly Charge decreases, the number of DSL Subscribers increases. The graph below shows this regression. Correlation between number of DSL Subscribers and the Monthly Charge in Middle East The rate of Broadband penetration in Iran and Middle East is insignificant. The table below shows the Broadband penetration in Middle East. -Correlation between the number of Broadband Subscribers and ICT Export in Middle East The data on hand shows that the Pearson’s coefficient value of the number of Broadband Subscribers and ICT Export is equal to .939. It shows that the correlation between number of Broadband subscribers and ICT export is very strong. P-value is equal to 0.000, which means that there is a correlation between Broadband subscribers and ICT export. The Regression’s Coefficient is 0.993 which means that the correlation of the two variables is strong since the value of 0.993 is close to 1. In addition to this, the R2 value is equal to 0.98. It means 98% of the change in the number of Broadband Subscribers in Middle East is related to ICT Export. The graph below shows this regression.    The result can be considered for countries with available data. Due to the fact that there are not many countries with Broadband subscribers, the result cannot hold true for all Middle East countries. -Correlation between number of DSL Subscribers and ICT Export in OECD The variables number of DSL Subscribers and ICT Export in OCED countries is also subjected to the computation for Pearson’s correlation. The P-value is equal to 0.153, which is greater than 5%. It means that there is no correlation between DSL subscribers and ICT export in OECD countries. The value for the Regression’s Coefficient is 0.267 which means that there is a correlation but it is not too strong. The R2 value for the variables is equal to 0.072. It means only 3% of the change in the number of Broadband Subscribers in OECD countries is related to ICT Export. It supports the idea that there is no correlation between DSL subscribers and ICT export. The graph below shows this regression. Iran is the second largest oil producer among the Oil Producing and Exporting Countries (OPEC). Furthermore, it has the worlds second largest reserves of natural gas. This chapter analyses the ICT situation in Iran and it will evaluate the Internet and Mobile penetration in the Middle East region. The research tries to identify the obstacles for development of ICT in Iran and to serve as a basis in the proposal of new policies. There are many active companies competing in the DSL arena in Iran. The major companies and their activities are listed below: Almost all of the governments of Middle Eastern countries control the communication and information media services. Internet access is especially subjected to many restrictions. Some of the most important restrictions are (a) Religious restrictions, (b) Political restrictions, (c) Language restrictions, (d) Speed limitations, (e) Cost of service, (f) Technical problems (disruptions in connectivity). The reasons for most of these problems are the incompatible infrastructures, lack of skill for supporting services, scarcity of local websites, insufficiency for applied economy and life. There are some other local obstacles in each country that complicates the infiltration of Internet access. The table below shows the population and internet users. Moreover, the percentage of the total population with internet access will also be shown. Figure below presents the number of internet users. Iran has the most number of internet users and Bahrain and Iraq have the least number of internet users. The comparison between internet penetration in 2000 and 2005 in this region shows that the growth of all countries is notable. The total growth of Internet users in Middle East from 2000 to the latest data available is 491.4%.   Each country showed an increase in their rate of access to Internet by at least 100%. The figure below displays the percentage of population with access to Internet. The internet user share of population in Israel is the highest while the corresponding shares in Iraq and Yemen remained to be very low. As Figure 2 shows, 51% of Israel’s population have access to internet. United Arab Emirate with 36%, Qatar with 27%, Kuwait with 25%, and Bahrain with 21% followed Israel in the list. Other countries do not enjoy the same privileges where only a low percentage of the total population have access to the internet. The share of Internet users in each country to the aggregate sum of Internet users in Middle East is calculated in the table below. Internet penetration and population of each country can influence the share of Internet users to the sum of Internet users in the Middle East. However, the table below demonstrates the level of interest of each country to communicate with other countries in economic and cultural aspects. The results show that in 2005, Iran has almost 39% of Internet user in Middle East. Israel with 19%, Saudi Arabia with 13%, and United Arab Emirates with 7% has more contributions to assemble total Internet users in Middle East. Figure below displays the share of each country in total Internet users of Middle East. The figure below shows correlation between Mobile population coverage and GDP per capita. The Pearsons correlation is used to find a correlation between GDP and Internet user, GDP and Mobile user, GDP and Fixed telephone. The value of Pearson’s coefficients and the value of P-values show no relationship between GDP and three factors. The GDP does not have any influence in the penetration of Internet, Mobile, and Fixed telephone in the Middle East. The graph below shows a negative relation between the number of DSL subscribers and Monthly charge. It means that countries with lower Monthly charge have more DSL subscribers. The distribution of countries in the graph is very wide and far from the correlation line, which means that correlation is weak.   The Pearsons correlation is used to find a correlation between the variables Population and Internet Users. The Pearson’s coefficient is equal 0.784. It shows that the relationship between Population and Internet users is positive and it implies direct association. P-value is equal to 0.001 and the value is between 0 and 0.5. It means there is a direct relation between two factors. The graph below shows that there is a direct relationship between Population and Internet users. It shows that countries with more population tend to have more Internet users. The Graph below shows this regression. The Regression’s Coefficient is 0.784 and R2 is equal 0.614. It means 61% of the change in the number of Internet Users in Middle East countries is related to population. The graph below shows the relation between all variables. Relationship of each variable in the distribution’s Matrix is determined with other variables in Matrix through the row and column.

Music in Marjane Satrapis Persepolis

Music in Marjane Satrapis Persepolis How music as a motif illustrates the developments of the central character in the graphic novel Persepolis 1 and 2. Persepolis a well acknowledged work by Marjane Satrapi represents the protagonist’s life.Persepolis represents music as a way to show one’s feeling and character. It depictsthe alteration of taste of music of the central character throughout Persepolis. It shows how music helps in blending the personality of the writer. This essay will discover how music as a motif developed the central character throughout the work. To begin with, music is much more than a source of entertainment for Marji. In the oppressing atmosphere of with all the restrictions in place it was a source of relief. It helped the writer to connect with the western world and express herself. It helped the writer in expressing her thoughts in every situation which came up to her. The author’s joy, sorrow, enjoyment were all expressed through music. The journey of music began right from her childhood. The first exposure to music was in the form of Pink Floyd. This is proven by the writer when she quotes ‘‘I knew Pink Floyd my parents listened to them whenever we went on a trip’’ (186 Satrapi). Pink Floyd has an American origin and they sing rock music. Rock music a symbol of aggression and Pink Floyd connotes that. The impact of Rock music on the writer was seen as the level of aggression in her started to rise. It made her react to situations aggressively. It also shows her penchant for the music a nd the impact of the music on her life and behaviour. This also leads to the development of the writer’s character over time. The music in her life kept on budding. Musicians like BEE GEES did not had a great impact in her life as she was more influenced by other musicians which were present during that time. The presence of BEE GEES is proved through instance where her maid’s boyfriend is seen to be wearing BEE GEES shirt (37 Satrapi). BEE GEES were an American pop music group. It symbolized the pop culture. Pop culture stands for all the unconventional practises and it motive is to go against the rules. This shows that at that time other teens were attracted to pop music whereas the writer had a liking for rock music. This makes us realize the state of mind of the writer at a young age. The musicians in writer’s life kept on approaching writer’s life as she grew up. KIM WILDE and MICHAEL JACKSON (131 Satrapi) were the ones who next came into the author’s music life. Kim Wilde was a pop singer. She gave the world a series of pop music. Marji considered her as an inspiring figure . It is shown through when the writer looks at KIM WILDE’S poster and trying to replicate her (131 Satrapi). The writer wanted to sing like her, dance like her, look like her in short she was an idol to her. Kim Wilde influenced the writer to the most extent more than any other singers. Michael Jackson also known as the king of pop also has given a great number of pop hits. Michael Jackson himself promotes the idea of breaking the rules which the writer followed to a great extent. Writer’s liking towards Michael Jackson is shown through the instance where she wears the Michael Jackson badge (131 Satrapi).Life with restrictions was not writer’s cup of tea and she always wanted to live her life to the fullest. There was one more musician who influenced Marjane was IRON MAIDEN. Iron Maiden the group has an American origin too. It brought heavy metal songs to the people which were well recognized throughout the world. Heavy metal songs were a symbol of high level of aggression. It led to an increase of aggression in her. The one and only thing which is similar in all the singers that they all belonged to the western world. There is no mention of Iranian music throughout the book which signifies the attraction of the writer towards the western world. The writer always dreamt of living in a western country and through the western music she tried to gain a temporary sense of satisfaction. It made her express her emotions. These instances led to a change in the character of the writer. The singers and the musician’s nature influence the writer in each and every decision of her life. In order to begin with, each singer’s style of singing and there personality had a different impact on writer. Iron Maiden’s heavy metal songs increased the level of aggression in the writer. It made Marjane deal with situations more aggressively. Whereas Michael Jackson’s motive of breaking the rules and achieving freedom is seen through her behaviour and the actions which writer takes. This is proved through the instance where writer wears a denim jacket and a Michael Jackson badge in spite of it being prohibited (131 Satrapi).Kim Wilde influenced Marji the most as compared to other singers. In the difficult atmosphere of Iran the music of Kim Wilde was a source of relief, through which Marjane could express her sentiments and her emotions which were subdued by the Islamic rule. The liking for Kim Wilde is proved when she sings â€Å"we’re the kids in America† (132 Satrapi) when she is walking on the streets. This shows her fondness towards the Kim Wilde. The character of these singers evinces the inner personality of the writer and shows the complete development of the writer, as she moves from heavy metal to pop music which implies a change from violence to unconventional practices. The writer’s choice of music has always changed as she moved from her adolescence to adulthood. In her young age she likes to listen to Iron Maiden, Kim Wilde and Michael Jackson. These various artists bring a separate set of emotions to author’s life. On one hand where Iron Maiden brings aggression, on the other hand Michael Jackson and Kim Wilde motivate her to live life without restrictions. They are a source of expressing her emotions for the writer. Kim Wilde especially inspire her and becomes an idol to the author. But these emotions were limited to her young age. When writer returns from Austria she has liking only for pop music left in her. This is proved through the instance when the author desires to hear the songs of Kim Wilde (250 Satrapi).Her stay in abroad had made her forget all the rock and heavy metal songs. This shows that the tough moments which came up to her in Austria made her realize what music really meant to her. The writer tends to forget the s ingers which influenced the writer most in her adolescence. This is proved through the instance where she states that ‘‘ In any case I no longer liked the idols of my adolescence†(251 Satrapi).The author wishes to listen pop music which clearly states that she still wants the freedom but the aggression in her has disappeared over time. The change in her taste of music also has led to her growth. The young age aggression had been downcast and there was a development of maturity in her. This shows how music led to the development of the writer. It stimulated the change from adolescence to adulthood which signifies the importance of music in her life. Author-Marjane Satrapi Title-Persepolis Translated by- Published by- Vintage Published year-2008

Music theory

Music theory ABSTRACT MUSIC THEORY:- Music theory is the field of study that deals with how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It identifies patterns that govern composers techniques. In a grand sense, music theory distills and analyzes the parameters or elements of music – rhythm, harmony (harmonic function), melody, structure, form, and texture. Broadly, music theory may include any statement, belief, or conception of or about music. People who study these properties are known as music theorists. Some have applied acoustics, human physiology, and psychology to the explanation of how and why music is perceived. The Four elements of music:- Melody Harmony Rhythm Dynamics AESTHETICS:- Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics or esthetics) is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste. More broadly, scholars in the field define aesthetics as critical reflection on art, culture and nature. Aesthetics is a subdiscipline of axiology, a branch of philosophy, and is closely associated with the philosophy of art. Aesthetics studies new ways of seeing and of perceiving the world. AESTHETICS OF MUSIC:- Traditionally, the aesthetics of music or musical aesthetics concentrated on the quality and study of the beauty and enjoyment (plaisir and jouissance) of music. Aesthetics is a sub-discipline of philosophy. However, many musicians, music critics, and other non-philosophers have contributed to the aesthetics of music. In recent decades philosophers have tended to emphasize issues besides beauty and enjoyment. It is often thought that music has the ability to affect our emotions, intellect, and psychology; lyrics can assuage our loneliness or incite our passions. For this reason, the philosopher Plato proposed that music is a dangerous entertainment that should be closely regulated by the state. It is commonly believed that human responses to music are culturally influenced. For example, musical passages in Beethoven that sounded highly dissonant to his contemporaries do not sound dissonant to listeners today. As such, musics aesthetic appeal seems highly dependent upon the culture in which it is practiced. However, there is a physical background which defines sound being proper or improper. Proper sound is perceived as gentle sound while improper sound is more or less considered nice sounding depending on what the listener is used to listen to. Harry Partch and some other musicologists like for instance Kyle Gann therefore have studied and tried to popularize microtonal music and the usage of alternate musical scales. Also many modern composers like Lamonte Young, Rhys Chatham and Glenn Branca paid much attention to a scale called just intonation. Some of the aesthetic elements expressed in music include lyricism, harmony, hypnotism, emotiveness, temporal dynamics, resonance, playfulness, and color (see also musical development). However, there has been a strong tendency in the aesthetics of music to emphasize musical structure as the most important (or even only) aesthetic element that is important in the experience of music. RHYTHM:- Rhythm is the heartbeat of music. As music passes in time, it is divided into perceptible sections, and each section subdivided further. Rhythm is the arrangement of sounds and silences in time. Meter animates time in regular pulse groupings, called measures or bars. The time signature or meter signature specifies how many beats are in a measure, and which value of written note is counted and felt as a single beat. Through increased stress and attack (and subtle variations in duration), particular tones may be accented. There are conventions in most musical traditions for a regular and hierarchical accentuation of beats to reinforce the meter. Syncopated rhythms are rhythms that accent unexpected parts of the beat. Playing simultaneous rhythms in more than one time signature is called polymeter. See also polyrhythm. Rhythm is, by its simplest definition, musical time. The origin of the word is Greek, meaning flow. Rhythm is indeed the embodiment of timely flow. As meter regulates and pulsates a poem, rhythm organizes music in much the same way. The regular pulsations of the music are called the beat. Stronger beats are referred to as accented beats. Measures of music divide a piece into time-counted segments. Strong beats occur in patterns. For instance, in 4/4 time, the conductor would beat a strong beat on the first beat of every measure and another accented beat although not as strong on the third count of the measure. Because the conductors arms move downward on strong beats, especially those that begin a measure, accented beats are also referred to as downbeats. In recent years, rhythm and meter have become an important area of research among music scholars. Recent work in these areas includes books by Bengt-Olov Palmqvist, Fred Lerdahl and Ray Jackendoff, Jonathan Kramer, Christopher Hasty, William Rothstein, and Joel Lester. Rhythm either means tempo literally, or its percussion within tempo. Like instead of just 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4. you might Get a groove like: 1-+-+-2-+-+-3-+-+-4-+-+-1-+-2-+-. Rhythm is the variation of the length and accentuation of a series of sounds or other events. RHYTHM IN LINGUISTICS:- The study of rhythm, stress, and pitch in speech is called prosody; it is a topic in linguistics. Narmour (1980, p.147–53) describes three categories of prosodic rules which create rhythmic successions which are additive (same duration repeated), cumulative (short-long), or countercumulative (long-short). Cumulation is associated with closure or relaxation, countercumulation with openness or tension, while additive rhythms are open-ended and repetitive. Richard Middleton points out this method cannot account for syncopation and suggests the concept of transformation. A rhythmic unit is a durational pattern which occupies a period of time equivalent to a pulse or pulses on an underlying metric level, as opposed to a rhythmic gesture which does not (DeLone et al. (Eds.), 1975 ORIGINS OF HUMAN APPERCIATION OF RHYTHM:- In his series How Music Works, Howard Goodall presents theories that rhythm recalls how we walk and the heartbeat we heard in the womb. More likely is that a simple pulse or di-dah beat recalls the footsteps of another person. Our sympathetic urge to dance is designed to boost our energy levels in order to cope with someone, or some animal chasing us – a fight or flight response. From a less darwinist perspective, perceiving rhythm is the ability to master the otherwise invisible dimension, time. Rhythm is possibly also rooted in courtship ritual. Neurologist Oliver Sacks posits that human affinity for rhythm is fundamental, so much that a persons sense of rhythm cannot be lost in the way that music and language can (e.g. by stroke). In addition, he states that chimpanzees and other animals show no similar appreciation for rhythm. RYHTM NOTATION AND THE ORAL TRADITION:- Worldwide there are many different approaches to passing on rhythmic phrases and patterns, as they exist in traditional music, from generation to generation. African music In the Griot tradition of Africa everything related to music has been passed on orally. Babatunde Olatunji (1927–2003), a Nigerian drummer who lived and worked in the United States, developed a simple series of spoken sounds for teaching the rhythms of the hand drum. He used six vocal sounds: Goon Doon Go Do Pa Ta. There are three basic sounds on the drum, but each can be played with either the left or the right hand. This simple system is now used worldwide, particularly by Djembe players. Indian music Indian music has also been passed on orally. Tabla players would learn to speak complex rhythm patterns and phrases before attempting to play them. Sheila Chandra, an English pop singer of Indian descent, made performances based around her singing these patterns. In Indian Classical music, the Tala of a composition is the rhythmic pattern over which the whole piece is structured. Western music Standard music notation contains all rhythmic information and is adapted specifically for drums and percussion instruments. The drums are generally used to keep other instruments in time. They do this by supplying beats/strikes in time at a certain pace, i.e. 70 beats per minute (bpm). In Rock music, a drum beat is used to keep a bass/guitar line in time. TYPES In Western music, rhythms are usually arranged with respect to a time signature, partially signifying a meter. The speed of the underlying pulse is sometimes called the beat. The tempo is a measure of how quickly the pulse repeats. The tempo is usually measured in beats per minute (bpm); 60 bpm means a speed of one beat per second. The length of the meter, or metric unit (usually corresponding with measure length), is usually grouped into either two or three beats, being called duple meter and triple meter, respectively. If each beat is divided by two or four, it is simple meter, if by three (or six) compound meter. According to Pierre Boulez, beat structures beyond four are simply not natural. His reference is to western European music. Syncopated rhythms are rhythms that accent parts of the beat not already stressed by counting. Playing simultaneous rhythms in more than one time signature is called polymeter. See also polyrhythm. In recent years, rhythm and meter have become an important area of research among music scholars. Recent work in these areas includes books by Maury Yeston, Fred Lerdahl and Ray Jackendoff, Jonathan Kramer, Christopher Hasty, William Rothstein, and Joel Lester. Syncopated rhythms are rhythms that accent parts of the beat not already stressed by counting. Playing simultaneous rhythms in more than one time signature is called polymeter. See also polyrhythm. In recent years, rhythm and meter have become an important area of research among music scholars. Recent work in these areas includes books by Maury Yeston, Fred Lerdahl and Ray Jackendoff, Jonathan Kramer, Christopher Hasty, William Rothstein, and Joel Lester. Some genres of music make different use of rhythm than others. Most Western music is based on subdivision, while non-Western music uses more additive rhythm. African music makes heavy use of polyrhythms, and Indian music uses complex cycles such as 7 and 13, while Balinese music often uses complex interlocking rhythms. By comparison, a lot of Western classical music is fairly rhythmically (or metrically) simple; it stays in a simple meter such as 4/4 or 3/4 and makes little use of syncopation. Clave is a common underlying rhythm in African, Cuban music, and Brazilian music. In the 20th century, composers like Igor Stravinsky, Bela Bartok, Philip Glass, and Steve Reich wrote more rhythmically complex music using odd meters, and techniques such as phasing and additive rhythm. At the same time, modernists such as Olivier Messiaen and his pupils used increased complexity to disrupt the sense of a regular beat, leading eventually to the widespread use of irrational rhythms in New Complexity. This use may be explained by a comment of John Cages where he notes that regular rhythms cause sounds to be heard as a group rather than individually; the irregular rhythms highlight the rapidly changing pitch relationships that would otherwise be subsumed into irrelevant rhythmic groupings (Sandow 2004, p.257). LaMonte Young also wrote music in which the sense of a regular beat is absent because the music consists only of long sustained tones (drones). In the 1930s, Henry Cowell wrote music involving multiple simultaneous periodic rhythms and collaborated with Là ©on T hà ©rà ©min to invent the Rhythmicon, the first electronic rhythm machine, in order to perform them. Similarly, Conlon Nancarrow wrote for the player piano.

Santiago as Code Hero in Hemingways The Old Man and The Sea Essay

Santiago as Code Hero in Hemingway's The Old Man and The Sea "The Old Man and the Sea" is a heroic tale of man's strength pitted against forces he cannot control. It is a story about an old Cuban fisherman and his three-day battle with a giant Marlin. Through the use of three prominent themes; friendship, bravery, and Christianity; the "Old Man and the Sea" strives to teach important life lessons to the reader while also epitomizing Santiago, the old fisherman, as a Hemingway code hero. The relationship between Santiago and the boy is introduced early in the story. They are unlikely companions; one is old and the other young, yet they share an insuperable amount of respect and loyalty for each other. Santiago does not treat Manolin as a young boy but rather as an equal. Age is not a factor in their relationship. Manolin does not even act as a young boy; he is mature and sensitive to Santiago's feelings. He even offers to disobey his parents and accompany Santiago on his fishing trips. Santiago is viewed as an outcast in his village because he has not caught any fish for more than eighty-four days and is therefore "unlucky". Nonetheless Manolin is loyal to Santiago and even when his parents forbid him he wants to help his friend. Their conversations are comfortable, like that of two friends who have known each other for a long time. When they speak it is usually about baseball or fishing, the two things they have most in common. Their favorite team is the Yankees and Santiago never loses faith in them even when the star player, Joe DiMaggio is injured with a heel spur. In this way Santiago not only teaches Manolin about fishing but also about important characteristics such as faith. In the story Santiago's bravery is uns... ...e does allow Christianity to be a more dominant theme than the other but instead makes it more symbolic than intentional. He does not smother the relationship between the old man and the young boy but instead separates them for a large part of the story. Finally, he does not make Santiago's bravery a central them by highlighting his weaknesses. In the end the old mans perseverance and faith pay off. He finally gains the respect of the village and succeeds in teaching Manolin the lessons of faith and bravery. In Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea", one will find many examples in which the main character, Santiago, surpasses many hardships while being courageous, brave, and being a friend. Each of these: courage, bravery, and friendship, are qualities in a Hemingway code hero. Hemingway, Ernest. "The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999.

Understanding Schizophrenia Essay -- Essays on Schizophrenia

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "In my senior year of high school, I began to experience personality changes. I did not realize the significance of the changes at the time, and I think others denied them, but looking back I can see that they were the earliest signs of illness. I became increasingly withdrawn and sullen. I felt alienated and lonely and hated everyone. I felt as if there were a huge gap between me and the rest of the world; everybody seemed so distant from me." This excerpt describes part of Esse Leete 20-year battle with schizophrenia. She committed herself to leading the fullest life her disease will allow and to educating others about mental illness. Schizophrenia is a very serious disease, but through defining schizophrenia and getting the patient help and treatment a schizophrenic can lead a full life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Schizophrenia is defined as any of a group of psychotic reactions characterized by withdrawal from reality with highly variable affective, behavioral and intellectual disturbances by the American Heritage Dictionary. No definition of schizophrenia can adequately describe all people with this illness. Schizophrenia is an extremely complex mental illness. It is clear that schizophrenia is a disease which makes it difficult for the person with the illness to decide what is real and what is not (Swados 5). It is also clear that this brain disease affects normal, intelligent people in all walks of life. There are six concrete phrases that describe schizophrenia: it is a real disease, has concrete and specific symptoms, is different from other mental illnesses, is the result of flaws brain biochemistry, may be treated by specific antipsychotic drugs, and is almost always treatable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scientist are unsure of the causes of schizophrenia, although research is progressing rapidly. Scientist are almost certain that schizophrenia has more than one cause. One cause could be a chemical imbalance. An imbalance of the brain's chemical system has long been suspected as the main cause of the illness (Youth 2). A second cause could be stress. Most authorities disagree that severe stress can cause the illness. Stress can however, worsen the symptoms when the illness is already present. A third cause could possibly be genetic predisposition. Genetic transmission has yet to be proven even though schizophrenia tends to run is some families(Youth 3). F... ...hould have an interest in the illness, be competent, and has empathy with the patients. If there is any apprehension about the physician/psychiatrist the family has the right to get a second opinion. Assisting the doctor/psychiatrist is the third step of getting treatment. Since patients with the illness may not volunteer much information during the assessment, the family should speak to the doctor or write a letter. In some cases, it may be necessary to send written information. The information that is supplied will greatly assist the physician to make an accurate assessment and outline a suitable course of action.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Presently schizophrenia is not a "curable" disease, but is controllable (Youth 15). The treatment of schizophrenia could possibly be medication. Most patients with schizophrenia must regularly take maintenance medication to keep the illness under control. It is difficult for the doctor/psychiatrist to know which medication will work best for a given individual. Many changes in type of drug and dosage may be required. This period of trial and error can be extremely trying for everyone involved. Some medications have unusual and difficult side effect

Free Trade and Employment :: Essays Papers

Free Trade and Employment There is an ongoing argument about whether or not free trade has an affect on employment. For hundreds of years there have been people who stand on both sides of the fence of this issue. As with most debates, each side presents facts that are presented in a certain light that may cause them to tell a story that may be different than what the actual numbers mean. Those who oppose free trade will say that competition with imports will destroy jobs for people working in those particular industries. While those who support free trade will defend their position by arguing that the increase in exports will instead create jobs, and that competition will help to drive prices down. While both positions tell stories that are true, they fail to accept that for the most part, any effects tend to cancel each other out and employment levels remain stable and level (Irwin Chapter 3). The issue of free trade is both complex and important enough that each side deserves a closer look, so we can see both sides together and get a feeling for what is really happening. After all, just because free trade may not have a substantial effect on employment alone, that is not necessarily true for the economy as a whole. Any industry that competes with a foreign good or service will inevitably have to drop the price of its product in order to stay competitive in an international market. Trade opponents admit that while this price drop will lead to more efficient production, it may also lead to lower real wages, and less employment in that particular industry or company. This is the primary argument for those who suggest that imports will destroy jobs, and it is not always false, but it is not always true either. Foreign competition can destroy jobs, because the people that get displaced cannot simply just go work for the competitor. In addition, it takes both time and money to retrain for another field of work; and most people, especially those who are closer to the retirement age, would rather spend that time looking for another job in the same or similar industry instead of educating themselves for a new line of work. Those who are fortunate enough to keep their jobs must settle for lower wag es; or at least the same wages that are now comparatively lower related to production than they were before production efficiency increased.

Lord of the Flies – How is the idea of the beast developed?

The idea of a beast on the island emerges early in the story, which quickly evolves from the imagination of one little boy. At first the idea is superficially rejected but subconsciously absorbed and as a result it continues to develop. The concept of a dangerous presence on the island originates when one of the children mentions he has seen a â€Å"snake – thing. Ever so big†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.in the woods, † an idea which is quickly dismissed by the older boys as part of his imagination. Soon, many of the older boys begin to wonder about the existence of some kind of beast, and although many were not willing to admit this, its fear was demonstrated by their horrible nightmares and night screams. Later, talk of beasts emerges at an assembly where the vast majority agreed on its presence on the island and although Simon had already figured out that this idea came from their inner fear, he was not able to get this point across. Orwell reveals the reader, through Simon, how the creation of the beast is used to take the blame for all the chaos and disasters. Furthermore, the creation of the beast is just an excuse to believe the cause of evil is due to it, not to them. As a result, it becomes critical to find a definite shape for the beast and prove its existence as this would automatically release them from the guilt the evil emitted. Soon after, a dead parachutist's corpse is confused with the beast, and the children become convinced of the existence of the beast. In a later assembly, Jack decides to leave the group as he refuses to obey more rules. Many others decide to follow him, as they felt more secure with him. The idea of the existence of the beast gave Jack control over the other children. The concept of a beast is allowed to develop due one main reason; fear. Fear of the unknown, together with the children's imagination, built up the idea of a beast inhabiting the island. Yet, many other factors contribute to its development, such as Jack's desire for control. Throughout this novel, the boys are constantly faced with various fears, yet nothing compares to the fear they feel towards the beast. The beast represents how human beings will try to convince themselves that evil is not present inside them, by making someone or something else seem to be the cause for the evil. The beast is a metaphor used to demonstrate how the imagination can be manipulated to let it grow; à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½The beast had teeth, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ said Ralph, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½and big black eyes.à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Yet Golding's purpose in developing the concept of the beast was to demonstrate the connection between evil and fear, to show us that fear is the thought and evil is the reaction, as it is proved by the murder of Simon, when he was confused with the beast which inhabited in their minds.

Ezekiel’s Prophecy of the Temple Essay

Ezekiel 40-48 Introduction The Temple   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The prophesy of the temple ought to be interpreted literally and not figuratively. This is because it was given at a time when Ezekiel was still in captivity. Since Ezekiel was in captivity while stating this prophecy, this time was literal and not figurative. Similarly, Ezekiel’s apocalyptic prophecies tend to have close similarities with prophecies found in the revelations, which is another suggestion that the prophecy is more literal than figurative. In Ezekiel 40-42, Ezekiel describes a temple that is to be constructed and would be used for worshiping for not only the Israelites but also the entire world. Since the temple being described has never been constructed, it becomes evident that the prophecy is yet to be fulfilled.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In early chapters of Ezekiel 40, the prophet talks of being taken to Jerusalem in a vision. It is in this vision that he is shown a new temple. The reason why the prophecy is more literal than figurative is because most prophecies are liberal. For instance, the same way God showed Ezekiel a real temple, a similar temple was shown to David, which was later on to be built by Solomon in Jerusalem when he was king. Hence, in my opinion, the temple that God showed Ezekiel will also be built in Jerusalem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The other reason why Ezekiel’s prophecy was more literal than figurative is due to the details covered in the chapters. Measurements of the temple walls as well as courtyards and gateways make the vision appear more literal. Although this vision is yet to be fulfilled, the book  of revelations states that there will be no temple constructed in the New Jerusalem since it is God and the lamb that will represent the temple. Due to this revelation, it is evident that the prophecy is literal since no temple will be constructed. Animal Sacrifices   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Ezekiel 44-46, Ezekiel talks of sacrifices that will be offered in the new temple. This prophecy is also literal since it is difficult to believe that sacrifices will come into existence again in the future. In my opinion, this prophecy is literal since instead of sacrifices, the vision depicts memorial sacrifices similar to those that occurred during the first coming of Jesus Christ such as the last supper. During the last supper, Jesus asked his disciples to use bread and wine in his commemoration. This implied that God prefers this form of commemoration rather than the regular sacrifice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In my opinion, the sacrifice visualized in the temple by Ezekiel is more literal than symbolic since it represents the presence of Jesus rather than the literal animal sacrifice. Through this, it is evident that the temple visualized by Ezekiel will be fulfilled by Jesus’ second coming. In Ezekiel 45-46, he talks of a prince who will carry out his roles with justice and righteousness. For instance, when it comes to tax, this prince will ensure that he takes only what one can afford, this is in relation to one’s financial ability. Due to this revelation, it becomes evident that the prophecy ought to be understood as literal and not figurative. References La Sor, William Sanford, David Allan Hubbard, Frederic William Bush, and Leslie C. Allen. Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form and Background of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans, 1996. Price, Randall. â€Å"Ezekiel’s Prophecy of the Temple.† World of the Bible. n.d. Available at http://www.worldofthebible.com/Bible%20Studies/Ezekiel%27s%20Prophecy%20of%20the%20Temple.pdf â€Å"Reflections on the First Testament.† 2009. Available at http://garyeyates.blogspot.com/2009/12/temple-in-new-testament html. Source document

Chapter 13 Gryffindor Versus Ravenclaw

It looked like the end of Ron and Hermione's friendship. Each was so angry with the other that Harry couldn't see how they'd ever make up. Ron was enraged that Hermione had never taken Crookshanks's attempts to eat Scabbers seriously, hadn't bothered to keep a close enough watch on him, and was still trying to pretend that Crookshanks was innocent by suggesting that Ron look for Scabbers under all the boys' beds. Hermione, meanwhile, maintained fiercely that Ron had no proof that Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers, that the ginger hairs might have been there since Christmas, and that Ron had been prejudiced against her cat ever since Crookshanks had landed on Ron's head in the Magical Menagerie. Personally, Harry was sure that Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers, and when he tried to point out to Hermione that the evidence all pointed that way, she lost her temper with Harry too. â€Å"Okay, side with Ron, I knew you would!† she said shrilly. â€Å"First the Firebolt, now Scabbers, everything's my fault, isn't it! Just leave me alone, Harry, I've got a lot of work to do!† Ron had taken the loss of his rat very hard indeed. â€Å"Come on, Ron, you were always saying how boring Scabbers was,† said Fred bracingly. â€Å"And he's been off-color for ages, he was wasting away. It was probably better for him to snuff it quickly — one swallow — he probably didn't feel a thing.† â€Å"Fred!† said Ginny indignantly. â€Å"All he did was eat and sleep, Ron, you said it yourself,† said George. â€Å"He bit Goyle for us once!† Ron said miserably. â€Å"Remember, Harry?† â€Å"Yeah, that's true,† said Harry. â€Å"His finest hour,† said Fred, unable to keep a straight face. â€Å"Let the scar on Goyle's finger stand as a lasting tribute to his memory. Oh, come on, Ron, get yourself down to Hogsmeade and buy a new rat, what's the point of moaning?† In a last-ditch attempt to cheer Ron up, Harry persuaded him to come along to the Gryffindor team's final practice before the Ravenclaw match, so that he could have a ride on the Firebolt after they'd finished. This did seem to take Ron's mind off Scabbers for a moment (â€Å"Great! Can I try and shoot a few goals on it?†) so they set off for the Quidditch field together. Madam Hooch, who was still overseeing Gryffindor practices to keep an eye on Harry, was just as impressed with the Firebolt as everyone else had been. She took it in her hands before takeoff and gave them the benefit of her professional opinion. â€Å"Look at the balance on it! If the Nimbus series has a fault, it's a slight list to the tail end — you often find they develop a drag after a few years. They've updated the handle too, a bit slimmer than the Cleansweeps, reminds me of the old Silver Arrows — a pity they've stopped making them. I learned to fly on one, and a very fine old broom it was too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She continued in this vein for some time, until Wood said, â€Å"Er — Madam Hooch? Is it okay if Harry has the Firebolt back? We need to practice†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh — right — here you are, then, Potter,† said Madam Hooch. â€Å"I'll sit over here with Weasley†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She and Ron left the field to sit in the stadium, and the Gryffindor team gathered around Wood for his final instructions for tomorrow's match. â€Å"Harry, I've just found out who Ravenclaw is playing as Seeker. It's Cho Chang. She's a fourth year, and she's pretty good†¦I really hoped she wouldn't be fit, she's had some problems with injuries†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Wood scowled his displeasure that Cho Chang had made a full recovery, then said, â€Å"On the other hand, she rides a Comet Two Sixty, which is going to look like a joke next to the Firebolt.† He gave Harry's broom a look of fervent admiration, then said, â€Å"Okay, everyone, let's go –â€Å" And at long last, Harry mounted his Firebolt, and kicked off from the ground. It was better than he'd ever dreamed. The Firebolt turned with the lightest touch; it seemed to obey his thoughts rather than his grip; it sped across the field at such speed that the stadium turned into a green-and-gray blur; Harry turned it so sharply that Alicia Spinnet screamed, then he went into a perfectly controlled dive, brushing the grassy field with his toes before rising thirty, forty, fifty feet into the air again — â€Å"Harry, I'm letting the Snitch out!† Wood called. Harry turned and raced a Bludger toward the goal posts; he outstripped it easily, saw the Snitch dart out from behind Wood, and within ten seconds had caught it tightly in his hand. The team cheered madly. Harry let the Snitch go again, gave it a minute's head start, then tore after it, weaving in and out of the others; he spotted it lurking near Katie Bell's knee, looped her easily, and caught it again. It was the best practice ever; the team, inspired by the presence of the Firebolt in their midst, performed their best moves faultlessly, and by the time they hit the ground again, Wood didn't have a single criticism to make, which, as George Weasley pointed out, was a first. â€Å"I can't see what's going to stop us tomorrow!† said Wood. â€Å"Not unless — Harry, you've sorted out your Dementor problem, haven't you?† â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry, thinking of his feeble Patronus and wishing it were stronger. â€Å"The Dementors won't turn up again, Oliver. Dumbledore'd go ballistic,† said Fred confidently. â€Å"Well, let's hope not,† said Wood. â€Å"Anyway — good work, everyone. Let's get back to the tower†¦turn in early†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I'm staying out for a bit; Ron wants a go on the Firebolt,† Harry told Wood, and while the rest of the team headed off to the locker rooms, Harry strode over to Ron, who vaulted the barrier to the stands and came to meet him. Madam Hooch had fallen asleep in her seat. â€Å"Here you go,† said Harry, handing Ron the Firebolt. Ron, an expression of ecstasy on his face, mounted the broom and zoomed off into the gathering darkness while Harry walked around the edge of the field, watching him. Night had fallen before Madam Hooch awoke with a start, told Harry and Ron off for not waking her, and insisted that they go back to the castle. Harry shouldered the Firebolt and he and Ron walked out of the shadowy stadium, discussing the Firebolt's superbly smooth action, its phenomenal acceleration, and its pinpoint turning. They were halfway toward the castle when Harry, glancing to his left, saw something that made his heart turn over — a pair of eyes, gleaming out of the darkness. Harry stopped dead, his heart banging against his ribs. â€Å"What's the matter?† said Ron. Harry pointed. Ron pulled out his wand and muttered, â€Å"Lumos!† A beam of light fell across the grass, hit the bottom of a tree, and illuminated its branches; there, crouching among the budding leaves, was Crookshanks. â€Å"Get out of here!† Ron roared, and he stooped down and seized a stone lying on the grass, but before he could do anything else, Crookshanks had vanished with one swish of his long ginger tail. â€Å"See?† Ron said furiously, chucking the stone down again. â€Å"She's still letting him wander about wherever he wants — probably washing down Scabbers with a couple of birds now†¦.† Harry didn't say anything. He took a deep breath as relief seeped through him; he had been sure for a moment that those eyes had belonged to the Grim. They set off for the castle once more. slightly ashamed of his moment of panic, Harry didn't say anything to Ron — nor did he look left or right until they had reached the well lit entrance hall. Harry went down to breakfast the next morning with the rest of the boys in his dormitory, all of whom seemed to think the Firebolt deserved a sort of guard of honor. As Harry entered the Great Hall, heads turned in the direction of the Firebolt, and there was a good deal of excited muttering. Harry saw, with enormous satisfaction, that the Slytherin team were all looking thunderstruck. â€Å"Did you see his face?† said Ron gleefully, looking back at Malfoy. â€Å"He can't believe it! This is brilliant!† Wood, too, was basking in the reflected glory of the Firebolt. â€Å"Put it here, Harry,† he said, laying the broom in the middle of the table and carefully turning it so that its name faced upward. People from the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were soon coming over to look. Cedric Diggory came over to congratulate Harry on having acquired such a superb replacement for his Nimbus, and Percy's Ravenclaw girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, asked if she could actually hold the Firebolt. â€Å"Now, now, Penny, no sabotage!† said Percy heartily as she examined the Firebolt closely. â€Å"Penelope and I have got a bet on,† he told the team. â€Å"Ten Galleons on the outcome of the match!† Penelope put the Firebolt down again, thanked Harry, and went back to her table. â€Å"Harry — make sure you win,† said Percy, in an urgent whisper. â€Å"I haven't got ten Galleons. Yes, I'm coming, Penny!† And he bustled off to join her in a piece of toast. â€Å"Sure you can manage that broom, Potter?† said a cold, drawling voice. Draco Malfoy had arrived for a closer look, Crabbe and Goyle right behind him. â€Å"Yeah, reckon so,† said Harry casually. â€Å"Got plenty of special features, hasn't it?† said Malfoy, eyes glittering maliciously. â€Å"Shame it doesn't come with a parachute — in case you get too near a Dementor.† Crabbe and Goyle sniggered. â€Å"Pity you can't attach an extra arm to yours, Malfoy,† said Harry. â€Å"Then it could catch the Snitch for you.† The Gryffindor team laughed loudly. Malfoy's pale eyes narrowed, and he stalked away. They watched him rejoin the rest of the Slytherin team, who put their heads together, no doubt asking Malfoy whether Harry's broom really was a Firebolt. At a quarter to eleven, the Gryffindor team set off for the locker rooms. The weather couldn't have been more different from their match against Hufflepuff. It was a clear, cool day with a very light breeze; there would be no visibility problems this time, and Harry, though nervous, was starting to feel the excitement only a Quidditch match could bring. They could hear the rest of the school moving into the stadium beyond. Harry took off his black school robes, removed his wand from his pocket, and stuck it inside the T-shirt he was going to wear under his Quidditch robes. He only hoped he wouldn't need it. He wondered suddenly whether Professor Lupin was in the crowd, watching. â€Å"You know what we've got to do,† said Wood as they prepared to leave the locker rooms. â€Å"If we lose this match, we're out of the running. just — just fly like you did in practice yesterday, and we'll be okay!† They walked out onto the field to tumultuous applause. The Ravenclaw team, dressed in blue, were already standing in the middle of the field. Their Seeker, Cho Chang, was the only girl on their team. She was shorter than Harry by about a head, and Harry couldn't help noticing, nervous as he was, that she was extremely pretty. She smiled at Harry as the teams faced each other behind their captains, and he felt a slight lurch in the region of his stomach that he didn't think had anything to do with nerves. â€Å"Wood, Davies, shake hands,† Madam Hooch said briskly, and Wood shook hands with the Ravenclaw Captain. â€Å"Mount your brooms †¦ on my whistle †¦ three — two — one –â€Å" Harry kicked off into the air and the Firebolt zoomed higher and faster than any other broom; he soared around the stadium and began squinting around for the Snitch, listening all the while to the commentary, which was being provided by the Weasley twins' friend Lee Jordan. â€Å"They're off, and the big excitement this match is the Firebolt that Harry Potter is flying for Gryffindor. According to Which Broomstick, the Firebolt's going to be the broom of choice for the national teams at this year's World Championship –â€Å" â€Å"Jordan, would you mind telling us what's going on in the match?† interrupted Professor McGonagall's voice. â€Å"Right you are, Professor — just giving a bit of background information — the Firebolt, incidentally, has a built-in auto-brake and –â€Å" â€Å"Jordan!† â€Å"Okay, okay, Gryffindor in possession, Katie Bell of Gryffindor, heading for goal†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry streaked past Katie in the opposite direction, gazing around for a glint of gold and noticing that Cho Chang was tailing him closely. She was undoubtedly a very good flier — she kept cutting across him, forcing him to change direction. â€Å"Show her your acceleration, Harry!† Fred yelled as he whooshed past in pursuit of a Bludger that was aiming for Alicia. Harry urged the Firebolt forward as they rounded the Ravenclaw goal posts and Cho fell behind. Just as Katie succeeded in scoring the first goal of the match, and the Gryffindor end of the field went wild, he saw it — the Snitch was close to the ground, flitting near one of the barriers. Harry dived; Cho saw what he was doing and tore after him — Harry was speeding up, excitement flooding him; dives were his specialty, he was ten feet away — Then a Bludger, hit by one of the Ravenclaw Beaters, came pelting out of nowhere; Harry veered off course, avoiding it by an inch, and in those few, crucial seconds, the Snitch had vanished. There was a great â€Å"Ooooooh† of disappointment from the Gryffindor supporters, but much applause for their Beater from the Ravenclaw end. George Weasley vented his feelings by hitting the second Bludger directly at the offending Beater, who was forced to roll right over in midair to avoid it. â€Å"Gryffindor leads by eighty points to zero, and look at that Firebolt go! Potter's really putting it through its paces now, see it turn — Chang's Comet is just no match for it, the Firebolt's precision — balance is really noticeable in these long –â€Å" â€Å"JORDAN! ARE YOU BEING PAID TO ADVERTISE FIREBOLTS? GET ON WITH THE COMMENTARY!† Ravenclaw was pulling back; they had now scored three goals, which put Gryffindor only fifty points ahead — if Cho got the Snitch before him, Ravenclaw would win. Harry dropped lower, narrowly avoiding a Ravenclaw Chaser, scanning the field frantically — a glint of gold, a flutter of tiny wings — the Snitch was circling the Gryffindor goal post†¦ Harry accelerated, eyes fixed on the speck of gold ahead — but just then, Cho appeared out of thin air, blocking him — â€Å"HARRY, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A GENTLEMAN!† Wood roared as Harry swerved to avoid a collision. â€Å"KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM IF YOU HAVE TO!† Harry turned and caught sight of Cho; she was grinning. The Snitch had vanished again. Harry turned his Firebolt upward and was soon twenty feet above the game. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cho following him †¦She'd decided to mark him rather than search for the Snitch herself†¦All right, then†¦if she wanted to tail him, she'd have to take the consequences†¦ He dived again, and Cho, thinking he'd seen the Snitch, tried to follow; Harry pulled out of the dive very sharply; she hurtled downward; he rose fast as a bullet once more, and then saw it, for the third time — the Snitch was glittering way above the field at the Ravenclaw end. He accelerated; so, many feet below, did Cho. He was winning, gaining on the Snitch with every second — then — â€Å"Oh!† screamed Cho, pointing. Distracted, Harry looked down. Three Dementors, three tall, black, hooded Dementors, were looking up at him. He didn't stop to think. Plunging a hand down the neck of his robes, he whipped out his wand and roared, â€Å"Expecto patronum!† Something silver-white, something enormous, erupted from the end of his wand. He knew it had shot directly at the Dementors but didn't pause to watch; his mind still miraculously clear, he looked ahead — he was nearly there. He stretched out the hand still grasping his wand and just managed to close his fingers over the small, struggling Snitch. Madam Hooch's whistle sounded. Harry turned around in midair and saw six scarlet blurs bearing down on him; next moment, the whole team was hugging him so hard he was nearly pulled off his broom. Down below he could hear the roars of the Gryffindors in the crowd. â€Å"That's my boy!† Wood kept yelling. Alicia, Angelina, and Katie had all kissed Harry; Fred had him in a grip so tight Harry felt as though his head would come off In complete disarray, the team managed to make its way back to the ground. Harry got off his broom and looked up to see a gaggle of Gryffindor supporters sprinting onto the field, Ron in the lead. Before he knew it, he had been engulfed by the cheering crowd. â€Å"Yes!† Ron yelled, yanking Harry's arm into the air. â€Å"Yes! Yes!† â€Å"Well done, Harry!† said Percy, looking delighted. â€Å"Ten Galleons to me! Must find Penelope, excuse me –â€Å" â€Å"Good for you, Harry!† roared Seamus Finnigan. â€Å"Ruddy brilliant!† boomed Hagrid over the heads of the milling Gryffindors. â€Å"That was quite some Patronus,† said a voice in Harry's ear. Harry turned around to see Professor Lupin, who looked both shaken and pleased. â€Å"The Dementors didn't affect me at all!† Harry said excitedly. â€Å"I didn't feel a thing!† â€Å"That would be because they — er — weren't Dementors,† said Professor Lupin. â€Å"Come and see — â€Å" He led Harry out of the crowd until they were able to see the edge of the field. â€Å"You gave Mr. Malfoy quite a fright,† said Lupin. Harry stared. Lying in a crumpled heap on the ground were Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Marcus Flint, the Slytherin team Captain, all struggling to remove themselves from long, black, hooded robes. It looked as though Malfoy had been standing on Goyle's shoulders. Standing over them, with an expression of the utmost fury on her face, was Professor McGonagall. â€Å"An unworthy trick!† she was shouting. â€Å"A low and cowardly attempt to sabotage the Gryffindor Seeker! Detention for all of you, and fifty points from Slytherin! I shall be speaking to Professor Dumbledore about this, make no mistake! Ah, here he comes now!† If anything could have set the seal on Gryffindor's victory, it was this. Ron, who had fought his way through to Harry's side, doubled up with laughter as they watched Malfoy fighting to extricate himself from the robe, Goyle's head still stuck inside it. â€Å"Come on, Harry!† said George, fighting his way over. â€Å"Party! Gryffindor common room, now!† â€Å"Right,† said Harry, and feeling happier than he had in ages, he and the rest of the team led the way, still in their scarlet robes, out of the stadium and back up to the castle. It felt as though they had already won the Quidditch Cup; the party went on all day and well into the night. Fred and George Weasley disappeared for a couple of hours and returned with armfuls of bottles of butterbeer, pumpkin fizz, and several bags full of Honeydukes sweets. â€Å"How did you do that?† squealed Angelina Johnson as George started throwing Peppermint Toads into the crowd. â€Å"With a little help from Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs,† Fred muttered in Harry's ear. Only one person wasn't joining in the festivities. Hermione, incredibly, was sitting in a corner, attempting to read an enormous book entitled Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles. Harry broke away from the table where Fred and George had started juggling butterbeer bottles and went over to her. â€Å"Did you even come to the match?† he asked her. â€Å"Of course I did,† said Hermione in a strangely high-pitched voice, not looking up. â€Å"And I'm very glad we won, and I think you did really well, but I need to read this by Monday.† â€Å"Come on, Hermione, come and have some food,† Harry said, looking over at Ron and wondering whether he was in a good enough mood to bury the hatchet. â€Å"I can't, Harry. I've still got four hundred and twenty-two pages to read!† said Hermione, now sounding slightly hysterical. â€Å"Anyway†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She glanced over at Ron too. â€Å"He doesn't want me to join in.† There was no arguing with this, as Ron chose that moment to say loudly, â€Å"If Scabbers hadn't just been eaten, he could have had some of those Fudge Flies. He used to really like them –â€Å" Hermione burst into tears. Before Harry could say or do anything, she tucked the enormous book under her arm, and, still sobbing, ran toward the staircase to the girls' dormitories and out of sight. â€Å"Can't you give her a break?† Harry asked Ron quietly. â€Å"No,† said Ron flatly. â€Å"If she just acted like she was sorry — but she'll never admit she's wrong, Hermione. She's still acting like Scabbers has gone on vacation or something.† The Gryffindor party ended only when Professor McGonagall turned up in her tartan dressing gown and hair net at one in the morning, to insist that they all go to bed. Harry and Ron climbed the stairs to their dormitory, still discussing the match. At last, exhausted, Harry climbed into bed, twitched the hangings of his four-poster shut to block out a ray of moonlight, lay back, and felt himself almost instantly drifting off to sleep†¦ He had a very strange dream. He was walking through a forest, his Firebolt over his shoulder, following something silvery-white. It was winding its way through the trees ahead, and he could only catch glimpses of it between the leaves. Anxious to catch up with it, he sped up, but as he moved faster, so did his quarry. Harry broke into a run, and ahead he heard hooves gathering speed. Now he was running flat out, and ahead he could hear galloping. Then he turned a corner into a clearing and — â€Å"AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGHHHHHHH! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!† Harry woke as suddenly as though he'd been hit in the face. Disoriented in the total darkness, he fumbled with his hangings, he could hear movements around him, and Seamus Finnigan's voice from the other side of the room. â€Å"What's going on?† Harry thought he heard the dormitory door slam. At last finding the divide in his curtains, he ripped them back, and at the same moment, Dean Thomas lit his lamp. Ron was sitting up in bed, the hangings torn from one side, a look of utmost terror on his face. â€Å"Black! Sirius Black! With a knife!† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Here! Just now! Slashed the curtains! Woke me up!† â€Å"You sure you weren't dreaming, Ron?† said Dean. â€Å"Look at the curtains! I tell you, he was here!† They all scrambled out of bed; Harry reached the dormitory door first, and they sprinted back down the staircase. Doors opened behind them, and sleepy voices called after them. â€Å"Who shouted?† â€Å"What're you doing?† The common room was lit with the glow of the dying fire, still littered with the debris from the party. It was deserted. â€Å"Are you sure you weren't dreaming, Ron?† â€Å"I'm telling you, I saw him!† â€Å"What's all the noise?† â€Å"Professor McGonagall told us to go to bed!† A few of the girls had come down their staircase, pulling on dressing gowns and yawning. Boys, too, were reappearing. â€Å"Excellent, are we carrying on?† said Fred Weasley brightly. â€Å"Everyone back upstairs!† said Percy, hurrying into the common room and pinning his Head Boy badge to his pajamas as he spoke. â€Å"Perce — Sirius Black!† said Ron faintly. â€Å"In our dormitory! With a knife! Woke me up!† The common room went very still. â€Å"Nonsense!† said Percy, looking startled. â€Å"You had too much to eat, Ron — had a nightmare –â€Å" â€Å"I'm telling you –â€Å" â€Å"Now, really, enough's enough!† Professor McGonagall was back. She slammed the portrait behind her as she entered the common room and stared furiously around. â€Å"I am delighted that Gryffindor won the match, but this is getting ridiculous! Percy, I expected better of you!† â€Å"I certainly didn't authorize this, Professor!† said Percy, puffing himself up indignantly. â€Å"I was just telling them all t o get back to bed! My brother Ron here had a nightmare –â€Å" â€Å"IT WASN'T A NIGHTMARE!† Ron yelled. â€Å"PROFESSOR, I WOKE UP, AND SIRIUS BLACK WAS STANDING OVER ME, HOLDING A KNIFE!† Professor McGonagall stared at him. â€Å"Don't be ridiculous, Weasley, how could he possibly have gotten through the portrait hole?† â€Å"Ask him!† said Ron, pointing a shaking finger at the back of Sir Cadogan's picture. â€Å"Ask him if he saw –â€Å" Glaring suspiciously at Ron, Professor McGonagall pushed the portrait back open and went outside. The whole common room listened with bated breath. â€Å"Sir Cadogan, did you just let a man enter Gryffindor Tower?† â€Å"Certainly, good lady!† cried Sir Cadogan. There was a stunned silence, both inside and outside the common room. â€Å"You — you did?† said Professor McGonagall. â€Å"But — but the password!† â€Å"He had 'em!† said Sir Cadogan proudly. â€Å"Had the whole week's, my lady! Read 'em off a little piece of paper!† Professor McGonagall pulled herself back through the portrait hole to face the stunned crowd. She was white as chalk. â€Å"Which person,† she said, her voice shaking, â€Å"which abysmally foolish person wrote down this week's passwords and left them lying around?† There was utter silence, broken by the smallest of terrified squeaks. Neville Longbottom, trembling from head to fluffy slippered toes, raised his hand slowly into the air.